Fresh concerns are brewing within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as state governors under the party’s platform paid a strategic visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari at his residence in Daura, Kaduna State on Monday.
Led by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the APC Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma, the closed-door meeting, though publicly tagged a Sallah homage, was in fact a high-level intervention to prevent a potential mass defection of Buhari loyalists to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Inside sources revealed that the governors pleaded with Buhari to use his influence to stop top former government officials and members of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) bloc—Buhari’s political base—from dumping the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The fears among the APC leadership are palpable. The CPC faction remains the single largest bloc in the APC, and its exit could spell serious trouble for the party’s national stability and 2027 electoral prospects.
Already, cracks have begun to show. Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, a key Buhari ally, recently defected to the SDP, reportedly with Buhari’s blessings. Other ex-ministers, including former Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami and former Minister of State for Education Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, are said to be perfecting their exit plans as well.
In Buhari’s home state of Katsina, several APC members have also switched allegiance to the SDP.
The governors’ visit was, therefore, a last-ditch effort to secure Buhari’s intervention in halting the trend. However, the former president reportedly declined to interfere, insisting that individuals should be free to make their own political choices—a stance consistent with his leadership style.
This neutral position by Buhari has further fueled speculations of an imminent exodus of loyalists, potentially weakening the APC’s stronghold in the North and creating room for new political alignments as 2027 approaches.
The APC has been grappling with internal wranglings in recent times, particularly over candidate selection processes. The 2022 fallout from the rejection of a consensus arrangement in favor of indirect primaries remains a sore point, especially for CPC-aligned politicians.
With Buhari taking a hands-off approach and defections already in motion, the APC faces a delicate battle to maintain cohesion and credibility in the build-up to the next general elections.
Party insiders now warn that unless urgent reconciliation efforts are made, the APC may suffer significant losses that could jeopardize its grip on power.
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